


Pre-Blues

by nagireo (orphan_account)



Category: Blue Lock (Manga)
Genre: Friendship, High School, M/M, no beta we die like men, reo is persistent..., unspoken feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-21
Updated: 2020-09-21
Packaged: 2021-03-08 01:28:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,580
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26587411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/nagireo
Summary: Nagi thought about his quiet high school life: playing games on the roof, skipping class, ignoring the other students. And in a moment, he considered the rest of his life. How unobtrusive it would be. The day to day monotony that he invited.How boring it would be.“I’ll play football with you.”Nagi and Reo before Blue Lock
Relationships: Mikage Reo/Seishirou Nagi
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	Pre-Blues

If you had met Nagi when he was 14, you would have thought he was an especially discontented teenager. His eyes drooped, he often fell into deep malaises, and he was also staring deepling at nothing. At that age, Nagi found school to be dreadfully tiresome; he was grateful that his parents were able to put him through a high school normally reserved for elite students, but every day, he itched from boredom during lectures. Socializing with the other students proved to be tiring as well; almost every student here was the child of an elite politician, actress, or businessman. When he mentioned his own parents’ occupations (a teacher and a dentist), the other students would raise an eyebrow and leave him alone.

You couldn’t exactly call it a bad situation, but nevertheless, Nagi was constantly bored. 

He often skipped class to sit in the stairwell and play with his DS, taking the edge off his boredom. Nagi’s mediocre grades didn’t suffer from playing hooky, and since neither the teachers nor the other students cared about his absence in the classroom, he figured it was fine.

On the day that he met Reo Mikage, Nagi had been working through a Pokémon game, concentrating on picking the perfect lineup to defeat the next gym leader. The school bell’s ringing jolted him out of his contemplation, but he remained seated on the steps. He didn’t especially want to go to class, but skipping two classes in a row felt like pushing his luck. In his moment of thought, he felt a student jostle him from behind, and unexpectedly, he lost his grip on his console. From then, things moved in slow motion: the DS went flying into the air, a jolt of fear struck him as he realized all the progress he made in the last hour might be lost, and then Nagi instinctively felt himself launch down the stairs. 

It didn’t happen often, this compulsion to _move_ , but when it did, everything sharpened. Everything moved exactly the way he wanted it, as if he were the exacting conductor of an orchestra of his own limbs, and he could perfectly picture himself his body; the angle of his right foot as he landed, his arms outstretched to balance his flight, and his left leg extended in the air, falling right between the console and where it might land on the ground. He could picture the console lightly hitting his shin and his hand reaching out, snatching the DS on the rebound. There would be no wasted movement. Everything would happen exactly as he imagined it.

And then time sped up: Nagi jumped, landed, and he grabbed the console when it hit his leg. No wasted movement. Exactly as imagined.

Then, someone grabbed Nagi’s shoulder and wrenched him towards them (this time, Nagi kept a tight grip on his DS). He was met with a pair of stunningly clear eyes. On a second glance, Nagi recognized his classmate— the most esteemed student in the entire school, Reo Mikage. Nagi felt a flare of annoyance at how forcibly he was turned and was about to release a scathing remark, but at seeing Reo, he thought it’d be better to just ignore the other student. Reo had too illustrious a lineage for an unknown student like him to try and make enemies with him. 

Just as Nagi turned to leave, Reo said, “Play football with me.”

◇-◈-◇

Nagi rejected Reo the first time he asked and many times afterwards. Football didn’t seem to be a sport that suited Nagi; players spent the whole match running around, and Nagi would much prefer lounging on his bed, playing games on his phone. Maybe if Reo had chosen bowling, he would’ve said yes (although that was doubtful, too). 

Furthermore, pretty much every student in this school had an overwhelming presence, and Reo, beyond all others, was the king of overwhelming presences. He was probably worth a few billion yen, had been inculcated into the cult of domination through business, and everywhere he went, people flocked to him. It was hard not to notice Reo: not only was he in the top of the class, he also was in the student council (on track to be president), and he participated in sports. In short, it seemed like Reo was an exhausting person to be around, and Nagi would rather continue his quiet life of skipping classes to play games.

  
Reo was persistent, though. After the first rejection, Reo figured out which class Nagi was part of (later, he told Nagi that it was one of the perks of being on student council) and he would head over to Nagi’s desk to regale him with tales of legendary football players or provide commentary on a recent match. Nagi mostly ignored him in favor of playing games, but soon, other people started congregating at his desk during lunch, attracted to Reo like moths to a flame. Sometimes, Nagi could feel the seething jealousy emanating ominously from the other students: they probably wished that they could capture Reo’s interest as easily as Nagi had.

Whatever. It’s not like Nagi had asked for it.

This newfound activity at his desk drained Nagi, so he started changing his lunch locations to catch a break from the mob. Reo responded to this evasiveness by trying to find Nagi at the end of the day, offering Nagi rides home in his family’s flashy Mercedes-Benz (driven by a chauffeur of course). Nagi knew he couldn’t be caught dead in that vehicle, so he always declined. Then, Reo tried to find him in the morning before class to try and pepper persuasive arguments about pursuing football, so Nagi started coming in a little late every day since he figured that the model student couldn’t afford to miss even a minute of class time. Truthfully, it was annoying to have to adjust his schedule just to avoid Reo, and this annoyance just pushed Nagi further away from football.

Ever since the incident of almost breaking his DS, Nagi had been reluctant to sit in the stairwell, so he found a new hiding spot on top of the school’s roof. He enjoyed playing hooky: the roof was a place of respite against the onslaught of Reo’s football or crowding from his constant companions. Besides, being outside was nice. Nagi liked how he could feel a breeze on the roof and the way the sun warmed his face.

One day, Nagi decided to have lunch on the roof. He hadn’t done it before, but the weather was pleasant, and he figured that none of the other students visited that spot, so he’d be safe. As he settled into a spot and opened the bento his mom made for him that morning, he heard the door to the roof open, and he felt sharp disappointment. _Another ruined spot_ , he thought. He didn’t bother turning his head to see who interrupted his lunch. There was only one person who it could be.

“Nagi-san,” Reo called out. Nagi didn’t answer and instead started eating. Reo had approached where Nagi was sitting, but he seemed unsure if he could sit next to Nagi. Nagi certainly wasn’t going to invite him. After a few seconds of silence, Reo tried again, “Umm… Nagi-san?”

“What is it?” Nagi snapped. Reo seemed taken aback with Nagi’s new harshness. Now that there weren’t any people around them, Nagi figured he could be meaner to Reo. He could imagine the rumors that would spread if there were any witnesses— it’d be another massive headache, but if it finally got Reo to leave him alone, it’d be worth it. 

“Erm… can I sit next to you?” Reo asked. Seems like Nagi’s tone had the opposite effect. Nagi huffed and didn’t answer. Reo seemed to take that as affirmation and began pulling out his own bento from a bag. An awkward silence settled between them. Then Reo said, “I won’t come visit you here again.” Surprised, Nagi turned to face the other boy. Reo was smiling apologetically. “You looked disappointed when I found you up here. I don’t want to take a precious place away from you, so I’ll stay away from now on.”

A little relief filled Nagi’s heart, but he didn’t bother thanking Reo. It was his fault in the first place that Nagi even had to find quiet corners within the school. As if reading his mind, Reo continued, “I’m sorry for all the trouble I caused you these past few weeks. I’ll stop that, too.” With renewed surprise, Nagi found himself staring at the other boy. “It must have been a big bother.” Well, Nagi couldn’t exactly disagree with that. 

Another awkward silence stifled the air. Reo started to get up, but then, something jumped in Nagi’s throat. It was almost compulsive, in the same way Nagi sometimes just _moved_ , and he couldn’t stop the question from escaping.

“Why do you want to play football so much?”

Reo’s gaze connected with Nagi, and once again, he was struck by the stunning clearness in his eyes. A shiver ran down his back.

“I’m going to be the best football player in the world.” 

Not _I want to be the best_ , but _I’m going to be the best_ . Not a wish, but a fact. Reo’s eyes confirmed it; he was looking past Nagi at another concrete object ahead: the future that Reo so clearly ascertained for himself. His words were spoken with a conviction that made Nagi shudder. Then, Reo’s gaze shifted to look _through_ Nagi in a way that no one else had ever looked at him before. The force of it rivaled the power that Reo had used that very first time they had met, when Reo wrenched Nagi’s shoulder to demand Nagi to play football with him. Nagi felt both very large and very small under Reo’s clear gaze. 

Then Reo said, “We can be the greatest football players in the world.”

It was an invitation; the last invitation that Nagi would receive from Reo. His heart thudded like someone striking a consistent beat on a low drum, and the pressure of Reo’s clear gaze gave him a slight chill. In a moment, he understood why so many students were captivated by Reo and wished for the other boy’s attention. Anyone framed in Reo’s sight was suddenly made important, and it was an intoxicating sensation.

Nagi thought about his quiet high school life, playing games on the roof, skipping class, ignoring the other students. And in a moment, he considered the rest of his life. How unobtrusive it would be. The day to day monotony that he invited. 

How boring it would be. 

Just like that moment on the staircase, Nagi felt hyper aware of his body. He could feel the slight breeze carrying the scent of leaves brush against his cheeks, and he could feel the sun’s rays nestling into his hair. He could feel Reo’s intense gaze bearing down on him, waiting for an answer, and his own lips parting, his vocal cords vibrating, and the exactitude behind every syllable that left his mouth in this moment.

“I’ll play football with you.”

Reo’s responding smile felt as warm as the sun in that moment.

◇-◈-◇

At the time, Nagi didn’t understand what agreeing to play football with Reo exactly entailed. As soon as Nagi accepted, Reo tackled him, wrapping his arms around Nagi somewhat forcefully. Out of the corner of his eye, Nagi watched half the contents of his bento fly out and land on the roof, and Nagi immediately regretted this new association. 

“Oh shit, sorry,” Reo said as he noticed the food strewn in front of him. He offered his bento in exchange, and Nagi ate it with a bit of a pout. It was a more than fair traide; Nagi supposed that being the only heir to the Mikage corporation necessitated extravagant lunches every day (The first time Reo sat next to Nagi, Nagi had secretly wanted to ask for a bite of his food— it was some stroke of luck that he could finally eat it). Reo had launched into plans about organizing a new football team and then abruptly switched into talking about the Japanese tournament season. Nagi only half-listened; he was trying to recall the last time someone had hugged him as fiercely as Reo just did. Even though Reo had already released his hold, Nagi’s arms still itched from the sensation. 

“Nagi-san, give me your hand.” Reo looked abundantly expectant. It was a weird request, but Nagi was already being pulled at Reo’s pace for today, so it wouldn’t hurt, right? Nagi held his hand open, and Reo rummaged into his pocket for a moment before finding something. Reo held the mystery object tightly in his own fist, not letting Nagi peek at it, and he transferred it to Nagi’s hand, forcefully closing Nagi’s hand as soon as the swap was made. It was a little theatric; Nagi immediately opened his hand anyway to find a piece of strawberry milk candy.

Reo grinned brightly. “A reward for you.”

From then on, Reo sought out Nagi even more than he had before. If Reo wasn’t as involved in school life, it would have been overwhelming. Reo would text Nagi football clips often, give tactics commentary on games that happened during the week, and would invite Nagi out to football games (successfully luring him with the promise of food). This was in addition to practice with the make-shift team that Reo had cobbled together within a week. (It seemed that a lot of students wanted to participate, probably to get closer to Reo’s influence). It was strange how easily Reo occupied Nagi’s life, but he didn’t hate it.

Reo talked a lot, but he always seemed animated about it. Nagi couldn’t say that Reo was a naturally sunny person (in fact, he seemed incredibly serious when it came to the student council, the Mikage Corporation, or his grades), but he continuously graced Nagi with grins. Nagi, for the most part, liked his new company.

With Reo’s sudden interest in Nagi came resentful peers; Nagi often felt dagger-like stares or envious glances when Reo decided to hang out with Nagi (which was all the time). Twice, students confronted him, asking what he, the son of a dentist, could have possibly done to reel in Reo (insinuating an absurd, seductive affair between them). Nagi just shrugged it off and told them about the football team. 

It wasn’t a particularly satisfying answer, and later that day, Nagi found himself cornered by a trio of students in the middle of the hallway. Other students gave the scene a curious glance, but at realizing it was Nagi being threatened, they scattered away. Nagi felt some bitterness in his mouth. If he had been more important, someone would have fetched a teacher by now or called out the bullies— but having Nagi’s favor meant nothing in the school. No one would be willing to help him out. One of the trio gave a light shove to Nagi, making him stumble into the wall. Nagi was about to retaliate (in what way? He had never gotten in a fight before, but his hand was already balling into a fist), but then Reo was suddenly there, grabbing his assailant’s arm with a grip that would bruise. 

Everyone seemed to stop at Reo’s commanding presence. “Don’t touch him,” Reo said icily. “He’s a treasure that I found.” 

The atmosphere froze from Reo’s intensity, and every second passed heavily with the other student increasingly shrinking away in fear. Before the situation felt too overwhelming, Reo smiled, and instantly, it was easy to breathe again. Reo let go of the other student’s arm which dropped limply to their side. With a cheery expression, Reo said, “Why don’t you join our football team? If you’re good, I’ll be interested in you, too.”

After that, Reo gently pulled on Nagi’s arm to lead him away on the scene, chattering as he always did about football. His grip was so light that Nagi wondered if he had imagined the bruising strength that Reo had displayed just a minute ago. He also wondered if he had imagined Reo calling him a treasure.

◇-◈-◇

Even though Nagi didn’t mean to listen to Reo’s incessant talk about football, he did seem to absorb some things: he now knew about Japanese professional teams (he had taken a liking to the Urawa Reds much to the dismay of Reo), and when watching a game, he could discern obvious mistakes players made; a bad trap, a misplaced pass. Still, he couldn’t understand the enthusiasm that Reo always held for football. When Reo dragged Nagi out to the stadiums, sometimes, Reo would launch out of his seat, cheering at a goal, later recounting the moment with shining eyes (talking as if Nagi hadn’t been sitting right next to him). During their own games, Reo would pull out a whiteboard in the locker room, marking positions on the board and drawing arrows everywhere to dive into a deep discussion about possible tactics against the opposing team. Nagi liked seeing his new friend be so passionate, but he couldn’t understand it. And it wasn’t that Nagi was disinterested in football— he thought it was enjoyable, but in the same way playing games was enjoyable. Something that could pass the time.

One day during lunch, Reo was showing Nagi a match and provided commentary on one of the rookie players on the team who had started for the first time (his name was something like Sei… or Sae?). Like usual, Nagi was half-tuning him out while picking over his share of Reo’s bento (On the day that the other boy spilled Nagi’s bento, Reo noticed how much Nagi enjoyed his luxurious food. From then on, Reo had instructed the chef to prepare a little extra food for Nagi, much to Nagi’s delight). One of his classmates pulled a chair up to Nagi’s desk. It was a common scene that Nagi didn’t mind anymore; it was expected that other students would be interested in Reo. 

The classmate turned to Reo and started asking about a merge that had happened between two companies sometime last week. _That’s interesting_ , Nagi thought. Students were unlikely to discuss business outright at school, and even Reo seemed to be uncomfortable with this topic. Still, Nagi didn’t care to know anything of the business world, so he kept quiet and attended to the seafood dish that Reo’s chef had prepared.

Reo had responded to the other student by saying, “I’m sorry, Ishizaki-san, but I don’t normally talk about business at school. And furthermore, this matter isn’t something I would know about. Perhaps you could consult someone else for a better perspective.”

The other student gave Reo a curious gaze. “You’re right; it’s my fault for bringing up this topic at school. Still, it’s surprising that you don’t have an opinion on the matter as the son who will inherit the Mikage corporation.” 

“What do you mean?” Nagi found himself asking. Reo and the other student turned to him in surprise. That was to be expected; Nagi rarely contributed to conversations. “Reo doesn’t need to know about any of that. He’s going to be a professional football player.”

The other student seemed stunned by Nagi’s remark, and he sputtered out, “That can’t be— Reo has much more important responsibilities—”

“He told me himself,” Nagi replied.

Reo was grinning at Nagi, and he added, “It’s true. Nagi and I are going to be the best football players in the world.” His eyes shined with determination in that trademark clear way. 

Dazed, the other student left the two, and Reo scooted in closer to Nagi and silently slipped something into the palm of Nagi’s hand. Nagi glanced at the object. Another piece of candy, like that time on the rooftop. When Nagi looked back to Reo, Reo was sporting a cheeky grin. He soon launched into a lecture about football, but Nagi could still feel a hint of that bright smile lingering on Reo’s face. 

◇-◈-◇

From that moment onwards, Reo treated Nagi with special warmth. Of course, Reo was friendly to everyone, but Nagi could tell that Reo considered him special. _A treasure_ , Nagi sometimes thought to himself. After football practice, Reo would often invite Nagi to his apartment (when Reo first mentioned owning an apartment, Nagi was dumbfounded, but he reminded himself that Reo lived in a different world) where Nagi would play Reo’s newest games on his console. It was a little curious to see Reo owning so many video games— aside from multiplayer games with Nagi, Nagi had never seen Reo play video games, and none of his games had any occupied save slots. Still, whenever Nagi mentioned a new title he was interested in, without fail, the game would be found in Reo’s apartment. It was convenient Nagi— Nagi ended up saving a lot of money.

They spent many evenings quietly with Nagi wordlessly demolishing enemies in the latest video game and Reo leaning against his side or his head in Nagi’s lap, reviewing one set of papers or another: the news, reports from the Mikage corporation, student council work, or class notes. These days, Reo had become less talkative, and when he did talk, it wasn’t exclusively about football anymore. He would tell Nagi about mundane things that happened on the student council or weird interactions he had as the heir to the Mikage corporation. Nagi appreciated this change; he liked knowing these small details that Reo didn’t disclose to anyone else. Nagi found himself opening up, too—little details about video games that he had noticed, not liking too much icing on cupcakes, missing his dog that died a few years back. Reo was a rapt listener, giving Nagi attention that no one else in school had done yet. 

When Nagi first invited Reo to come to his house for dinner, Reo had flushed a deep red.

“Is it alright?” he asked.

“I talk to my parents a lot about you,” Nagi replied. Reo’s face blushed a shade deeper at hearing that. “They’ve been wanting to meet you for some time. You can just head back to my house with me today.” 

Reo stammered, “I can’t do that! I have nothing prepared; I need to find a gift if I’m visiting. And I can’t just come in my uniform—”

“It’s not a big deal. We’re not rich like you; we don’t care about that stuff.” But still, Reo refused and told Nagi that he would arrive at his home promptly at 7:00. 

When Reo did arrive (dropped off by his chauffeur exactly at 7:00), his hair was gelled back, and he was dressed in a smart outfit (not a suit; even Reo realized that would be overkill, but his shirt was perfectly ironed. Later that night, Nagi’s mom said that he looked ‘quite dashing’). Nagi answered the door in an old club t-shirt and sweatpants, but Reo didn’t seem to realize the discrepancy because he was too wrapped up in his own nervousness. He handed a bottle of wine to his mom (when she later looked up the label, she demanded that Nagi give the rare vintage back to Reo, but Nagi refused) and graciously bowed. Even during dinner (a delicious curry), Reo was stiffly mannered until his mom expressed how happy she was that Nagi had a friend like Reo. 

“You don’t know how glad we are that Nagi found such a good friend. When we first enrolled him into this school, we were so worried that he wouldn’t be able to fit in. Somehow, he found you.” Reo blushed at hearing this, and his stiffness melted away. From then on, he acted with his usual charm, capturing Nagi’s parents’ hearts enough for them to pester Nagi into bringing him to the house more often. 

In their new friendship, Reo seemed to touch Nagi a lot. Reo wasn’t cold to other people’s touches, but he didn’t exactly invite them, either. Yet with Nagi, he would casually drape an arm around Nagi’s shoulder to urge him closer while watching football clips on his phone, or maybe they’d be talking and Reo would suddenly stretch his legs out to rest them on top of Nagi’s. He easily grabbed Nagi’s forearm to drag him places or would muss up Nagi’s hair and remark at the color. Sometimes, during lunch, they would head up to the school roof, and Nagi would sit cross legged, playing his DS, and Reo would rest his head in Nagi’s lap and take a short nap, his breath puffing out evenly on Nagi’s thigh. On occasion, he would demand Nagi to hold out his hand and secretively pass Nagi some item; candy more often than not, but sometimes a piece of trash (a wrapper from candy already eaten, some crumpled paper) or a weird knick-knack Reo wanted to show Nagi. Nagi was surprised to learn that he didn’t mind any of it. 

During game days, when Nagi scored a goal, Reo liked to jump and tackle Nagi. The other teammates would follow by slapping Nagi on the back or high-fiving him. Today, something different had happened. It was steadily becoming normal for Nagi to have moments where time slowed and he felt immersed in a self-awareness of his own body, commanding his movements with precision, but today, that exactitude felt extended.

Nagi could see Reo pushing up the field to set an attacking play, but before Reo could pass to him, he already knew where the ball was going to land. It was more than that; Nagi knew exactly how Reo was going to pass it, and from that, he knew exactly where the ball would land. Except it was more than that, too. It was like he was _compelling_ Reo to pass the ball in an exact way so that it would land perfectly for Nagi to trap and score, but it also felt like Reo was compelling _him_ to receive the pass perfectly. It felt like an instantaneous chemical reaction where he knew Reo through and through, so much so that he could see the goal before it even happened. 

And then it happened: the pass, the trap, the net catching the ball perfectly and his teammates surrounding him, giving him the customary claps on the back and shouting in excitement. This time, when Reo came to celebrate the goal, he didn’t jump on top of Nagi. Instead, he gave Nagi a look of stunned amazement, his eyes as clear as that day when he asked Nagi to play football on the rooftop. Before Reo could approach him, the ref blew his whistle, and the team dispersed to play for the next point. 

When Reo ran away, Nagi swore that he could see Reo mouthing, “ _He really is a treasure_.” 

The game ended in their win (as did almost all of their games). At the end, while Reo was gulping down water in the locker room, Nagi approached him. “You didn’t jump on me for that goal,” he said. 

Reo instantaneously knew which goal Nagi was talking about (they had scored three in the game). He replied, “Sorry about that. I was a little out of it at the time.”

“Make up for it. I want a piggy-back ride now.” Reo laughed a little and obediently bent down for Nagi (both still sweaty from the game) to jump onto him. As Nagi jumped on, he wrapped his arms across Reo’s shoulders and thought about how firm they were. He wondered for a second if that was a natural thought to have for a friend.

“This kind of feels like you’re my little brother,” Reo said, and that answered Nagi’s lingering thought. Both of them had no siblings, but perhaps now they had become close enough to be like brothers. “Why did you want a piggy-back ride?” Reo asked as he walked him to the bus that had taken the team to their competitor. 

“My legs are tired from scoring all those goals for you.” Reo laughed again, and even though Nagi couldn’t see his face, he knew that Reo was smiling in that warm way that he reserved for Nagi. Nagi thought that he would probably order Reo to do this again. 

◇-◈-◇

Nagi had come over to Reo’s apartment again to play the Witcher (it had become habit for them— more often than not, after school, Nagi was at Reo’s, or Reo was at Nagi’s). Reo had his head in Nagi’s lap, and he was lazily going over notes from their most recent chemistry class. Then, Reo put down the papers and rolled his head into Nagi’s side, and Nagi shifted a little to accommodate the new weight. Reo reached out blindly, trying to grasp something, and he stopped when he felt Nagi’s fingers that were currently holding onto the controller.

“Give me your hand,” Reo mumbled.

“Wait, at least let me pause the game…” Once he did, he set the controller into the middle of his lap, next to Reo’s face. Nagi held his hand outward, expecting Reo to drop something into it, but then Nagi realized that Reo was trying to lace his fingers through Nagi’s. Nagi blushed.

“What is it?” he asked. This touch was different from usual; it felt… intimate. Nagi tried to not show his discomfort. Nagi could feel the heat from the other boy’s palm, and he wondered if this was another brotherly sort of touch. He tried not to think of Reo’s head in his lap, or the way that his soft hair rustled as he shifted around, or how every second felt drawn out into an infinite moment. His heart echoed in his chest. Where Reo’s head rested, Nagi’s thigh burned. 

Then, Reo pulled their intertwined hands down next to his face, and Reo’s warm breath ghosted his fingertips, and it was like a _bolt_ hit Nagi. Every exhale that Reo made, made Nagi's fingers _tingle_ from the sensation. Nagi tried to focus on the television screen, but his heart was thundering in his ears. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. 

Something must have happened if Reo was acting this way. 

“You’re the only one who believes me,” Reo said softly. Nagi almost didn’t hear it over the sound of his own heartbeat in his ears, but Reo's voice was a welcome distraction to how overly conscious Nagi was of Reo’s touch. Nagi waited a moment longer for Reo to explain himself. “Everyone else has expectations of me.”

So that was it— Reo had gotten in a fight with his parents about his future again. Still, Reo never reacted this way to a fight; he would go on angry tirades or make caustic jokes about his “destiny,” but this raw vulnerability was new. It was foreign enough to worry Nagi and dispel his current restlessness.

Reo said, “Nobody else believes me when I say that I’ll become the greatest football player in the world. They only see me through the lens of my family. And my family only sees me through the lens of responsibility… to take responsibility for my family... for the company... for my ancestors’ legacy…” 

“You’re different, Nagi.” Reo’s voice had gotten even lower and softer. “Truthfully, I didn’t believe myself until I met you… but then I did meet you, and I saw my future. I could see something beyond what other people decided for me... I could see something that I chose for myself.”

Reo had brought their clasped hands even closer to his face, so close that Nagi could feel Reo’s lips brushing the back of his hand with every word, and every touch sent shivers down Nagi’s spine. With a start, Nagi realized that Reo’s lips were soft. The sensation was electric. Nagi's stomach dropped, and he had become so tense that he wondered if he was now a statue. He prayed that Reo wouldn’t turn his head to look up at Nagi; Nagi didn’t know what expression was on his face, but his cheeks were burning like wildfire. 

“I’m grateful for you,” Reo said. 

“I know that football doesn’t interest you the way it interests me... Right now, it’s just something that you do. And you enjoy it, but… for me, I can’t explain it except that it gives me life…”

“I want to show that part of football to you. As part of my gratitude, I want to teach you a football that you love.”

Reo finally let go of Nagi’s hand, and Nagi felt like he could breathe again. When he looked down at Reo, the other boy had closed his eyes, and his breath was becoming even. Maybe Reo had been so tired from his fight with his parents that he had to sleep now. While watching his friend drift into slumber, Nagi’s own heart calmed down. He considered Reo’s words.

Nagi had hope that Reo could one day show him this captivating football.

The next day, Reo and Nagi received their invitations to Blue Lock in the mail.

◇-◈-◇

 **Authors Note:** A mostly happy Nagi/Reo high school fic! I'm very fascinated with the angst that can come from this duo, so expect this fic to be extended with hurt & betrayal. But for now, keeping it short n sweet :^). Not beta read so sorry for any mistakes!!


End file.
